Monday, September 20, 2010

I love seeing light showing it's true colors and we can see it the Newton's way, using a prism, or when all of a sudden a rainbow appears where we are and time seems to stop a little because it is unexpected and very beautiful.

Daniel Fisher from National Empowerment Center went to Mexico to rest a little witnessed one of this moments and had a camera in his hands. He was kind enough to give me the left photo. The right one is at his profile at Facebook.

I first got in touch with him long after starting this blog because I was writing a book and found the article "Reclaiming your power during medication appointments with your psychiatrist" by Patricia Deegan, Ph.D. that I translated to Portuguese and as Patricia Deegan approval I included it at the book - no, never published because there is nothing in Portuguese to give an idea about psych-drugs and pharmaceutical industry is powerful enough to make any effort disappears.

I remember having problems translating the word "advocate". We don't have mental health advocates in Brazil. This is one of the reasons this blog is in English. I would never find people to share ideas and all the research I have is in English. Here I am a self-proclaimed mental health advocate.

To start the week I hope that looking at these rainbows empowers us all.

Because of this experience, and also by seeing other people in mental institutions, I have an idea about what does it mean to be in a hospital for mentally ill destitute of any relation with a human being.

But I'm sure it is much more worse than can imagine.

Even asking for prescription puts patients in a inferior condition to those who work at a mental hospital.

It has to stop. For those who are in any mental institution I will pray even if my prayers are not considered strong because I don't go to any church or any spiritual institution.

God Bless you ALL!

"I’ve remembered this “story” yesterday and now I have to tell. I went to a psychiatrist of a mental institution that is in front of my house. He changed all my prescription. I looked at it and said to myself “-This is not a good idea!” But we trust physicians more than our instincts. Now I know I have to trust my instincts more than physicians.

He took away 200 mg of Seroquel and reduced the Efexor dose and changed something I cannot remember.I’ve spent three days without sleeping.On the third day I felt terrible. If I spend 1 day without sleeping I feel as if I was drunk. I don’t function normally and with all my energy.So I went to see the psychiatrist. I was crying and feeling terrible. He looked at me and said “-You have to be hospitalized. I’ll try to find a bed for you.”He didn’t say why I had to be on that place. He just said I had to spend 3 days there. I’ve said I had a dog… lol as if he cares.He finally found the bed and I was taken to the ward by a nurse. I don’t mind and have good relations with people who are in mental institutions. They talked to me with respect and asked “-What are you doing here? What’s your disease?”I don’t know.I smoke and after 20 minutes I felt like having coffee. I went to the door that separates normal people from crazy ones and it was half opened.I asked with a calm voice: “-I would like to have a coffee.”There were two people who were sat with their back towards me. They didn’t reply.I asked again, and again. They didn’t even look back. I started to feel nervous and angry. I said in a louder voice: “-I want to have some coffee.” No reply.

They talked to each other and it seems to me that they were saying something like “-These crazy people are such a bore!” I started to hit the steal door with my ring and I said that I wanted to have a coffee…

It was when one of them said; “-You cannot go out. You’re an intern now.”

I beg your pardon! ?

I hadn’t signed anything claiming I wanted volunteered psychiatrist treatment. I started screaming that I wanted to have the coffee.

All of a sudden a woman appeared. She was a giant for me. She restrained me from my back. I said: “-Wait! I’m not crazy and I’m here…” not a good sentence when you’re on a mental institution ward. A patient said: “-They want to use her as a guinea-pig!” I remember it quite clearly, even the voice. She saved me! Also my dog for I kept remembering she was alone.So I said I wanted to talk to the psychiatrist that had made a questionnaire after I was put on this ward. She had asked me if I… heard voices. That was the first and only time a psychiatrist asked me this question and it gave me the exact measure on how these psychiatrists knowsnothing about anything. You can tell by a person way of expressing and so many other signs whether the person is a psychotic or a neurotic. I can tell! How can it be that a psychiatrist cannot distinguish after years working with these diseases? I can even tell when someone is playing crazy. Yep! There are people on this street that behaves as if they were crazy because of the two mental hospitals we have here. They do it to ask for money.

After the giant finally stopped restraining me – I can tell you that it’s one of the most invasive ways to treat anyone and you feel terrible, you feel as if you are nothing - I’ve got my cell phone and said I was going to call my lawyer.After three minutes the psychiatrist who asked me if I hear voices appeared and I told her I wanted to get out of that place.She said supper was on the way and I don’t remember what else for the door was opened and I went straight home.

I’ve cried, and I’ve cried and I’ve cried… This is such a terrible experience to be restrained. Jesus! If they did it to me because I asked to have a coffee I cannot imagine how they treat people who are passing trough a crisis.

The psychiatrist who told me I had to stay there didn’t appear. I met him for a second time after being put on the ward.

He told me: “-you’ll have to stay here for 2 months.”

I beg your pardon! ? Wasn’t it 3 days?

I took my old prescription and things got back to normal. I slept and felt fine again.

I still see this psychiatrist and I never asked him about it all. I’ve just talked to him when I was feeling fine and went to talk to the psychiatrist who asked me if I hear voices.

I acted like a lunatic. I told her I hadn’t signed anything; and the whole thing was a bad use of power;… I don’t remember…; told the parent with a daughter to be careful with that hospital because… I was very angry to be in a mental institution…. and she got nervous because she knew that it was a huge… mistake? Can we say it is a mistake?

The next section I reported the psychiatrist who had the brilliant idea to put me there. He apologized. At least he apologized.

But I have no idea why all this has happened and it makes me wonder what happen to those people I use to visit on this ward when they are not having sun.

I’ve reported it to the government.

Of course I’ve got no reply."

Image: Street art by Vinchen

Update:

Sorry about the grammar errors. It is very difficult for me to write about these events even in my own language although I'm a good writer and have already published reviews at newspapers. But these events are too hard for me to write. I still didn't write about something I must since the beginning of this blog. I prefer to talk about them aloud but nobody wants to listen. Therapy is done orally and because when writing one has to think differently.

I also made some comments in blogs that are disastrous. I only use "and"... and"... or write one sentence after another. I'm sure it is the source of some smiles... A good effect!

Friday, September 10, 2010

This is the Live Terror Alert widget that you can get at the National Terror Alert. to put at your blog and prepare to take the measures. Please, be in panic and constant fear and buy the products here at Amazon.com

There are other links and brochure to be downloaded here and at other places. I don't have time to write it now because I will prepare myself.PANIC and FEAR is life-saving. See you when the.... arf.. arf...

Thursday, September 09, 2010

It is perfect for me. I always thought that living too long is not a very nice idea. So 67 is perfect.

We have to congratulate the anti-smoke propaganda. They did a very good job indoctrinating people to believe that cigarettes is the origin of all diseases and made those who smoke being discriminated and hated as if we were criminals.

The second-hand smoke theory was one of the most amazing ideas to spread the panic and fear and the arguments are incredible. A friend of mine said that lung cancer didn't exist before smoking. I could not believe what I was listening...

If they did the same effort to something that is really dangerous and lethal it would be good.

Please, if you are planning to comment saying that smoking is really a threat and blah blah...

Saturday, September 04, 2010

Gianna Kali published the last post of her blog Beyond Meds. After blogging for three years Gianna have approached all important issues related to the psych-drugs harms not only by sharing her story, searching for the truth and also by gathering many people that for a period commented at her blog.It is quite a work Gianna has done quitting all spych-drugs she was taking, she still experiences withdrawal symptoms even after months out of them, and leaving such a research she did to heal herself.I'm glad she is closing the blog and I really hope that Google doesn't put this valuable lessons to the last pages.I really hope she finds peace after all she has been through and have her voice heard.This is how she ended this phase of her life:

Thank you to all my readers for being part of this transformative journey with me. It’s time for me to move on and do other things.

This blog, depending on which ranking system you look at, is between number 1 and number 5 or so of non-pharma funded mental health blogs. I feel good about leaving and that the work has been a success.

The blog will remain online as a resource. I will come and do a post that helps orient new comers to the blog in general and to the navigation of the archives sometime in the not too distant future.

For now simply go to the tabs above for some navigation. I will try to improve access to more parts of the blog as I have time.